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Untitled Alexis Kenyon
Vacancy rates in Denver have reached an all-time high—outpacing the rest of the country.
A recent report shows Denver office vacancy rates are higher than they have been in at least the past 20 years.
According to a recent report from Mountain Region Research at JLL, vacancies in Denver’s downtown business district reached more than 34 percent between May and June of this year.
Metro-wide, vacancies rose to about 25 percent—about 5 percent higher than the nationwide average, which also reached a record high this year.
Not all Denver neighborhoods are experiencing vacant office space equally. More affluent Denver neighborhoods like LoDo reported around average vacancy rates last quarter. Cherry Creek had only around 5 percent office space vacancy rates. In East Denver, vacancy rates surged to more than 37 percent.
Colorado AG joins lawsuit to block rental price-fixing scheme that could be affecting thousands of renters across Colorado
The Colorado State Attorney General Phil Weiser joined several other states and the US Justice Department in a lawsuit against landlord management software company RealPage Inc. last week.
The lawsuit alleges that landlords in Denver use RealPage to fix rental prices. They do this, according to the lawsuit, by using confidential data collected by RealPage, to come together and agree to raise prices which, if proven true, amounts to collusion.
The lawsuit alleges that RealPage then uses the data to push landlords to end lease perks like rent discounts, pull rentals off the market to artificially lower supply and allow landlords to drive up rents. According to Denverite, the lawsuit targets the six largest publicly traded apartment companies in the US. Those companies own about 6,000 Denver rental units and earned at least $10 billion last year nationwide.
City of Denver sued for gender discrimination
The head of hiring and discipline for Denver’s Public Safety Department is suing the city for alleged gender discrimination. In a report to Colorado’s Civil Rights Division, Mary Dulacki—who is in charge of hiring and discipline for Denver firefighters and police officers—alleges that her department boss did not inform her that a new Deputy Manager position was becoming available.
Her attorney, Paula Greisen, wrote in the complaint that Dulacki was demoted from Chief Executive Deputy Director to Chief Compliance Officer “to make room for the less experienced man who was now paid significantly more than her, despite pay equity laws and her seniority,” according to 9News.
Boulder minimum wage will increase in 2025
Boulder City Council members voted unanimously Thursday to increase its minimum wage starting in 2025. Council members, however, were less united on how much to increase wages for Boulder’s lowest-paid workers.
Currently, the minimum wage in Boulder is $14.42/hour—the Colorado state minimum.
During Thursday’s meeting, Council members debated over 2 plans. One suggested creased that wage by about one dollar an hour — up to $15.58. The other proposed increasing the wage by about two dollars an hour, up to $16.56.
The Colorado Center on Law and Policy estimated that in 2022, a single adult with no children would have needed to make at least $19.44 per hour to be able to afford to live in Boulder County. For a single person earning Boulder’s present $14.42 minimum wage, they would need to work at least 70 hours a week in order to live in the city.
According to the Daily Camera, City Council members discussed for hours on Thursday and ultimately delayed the decision about this minimum wage increase for later this year.
Boulder Direct Cash enrollment event today
Boulder County Human Health and Services is hosting an enrollment event today to provide direct cash assistance to families living in Boulder County with at least one child under the age of four. The $6 million of funding for low-income families in Boulder County comes from the American Rescue Plan Act. It will provide 725 families $300 a month for families to use in any way they choose for two years.
To qualify, applicants must live in Boulder County, have at least one child under four, and have an income that is less than 30 percent of the area median. For a family of two, that comes out to about $3,000/month. For families of four, the max income would be about $3,600/month. The event is from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday at the St. Vrain Community Hub, 515 Coffman St., Longmont.
Train Collision along Boulder Creek
Two trains collided just north of Boulder County Health on Thursday—authorities say the cause of the crash is still under investigation but involved a Burlington Northern Santa Fe or BNSF train that was more than a mile long, slamming into a group of stationary BNSF railcars. The crash sent two train workers to the hospital for minor injuries and caused damage to a rail bridge that spanned over Boulder Creek Path. It also downed trees and damaged a power line resulting in power outages for about 200 Xcel customers.
According to the Boulder County Police Department, portions of the Boulder Creek Path remain closed as BNSF crews work to clean up and repair damage from the collision.
